We use cookies on this website to improve your shopping experience. We use cookies to remember log-in details and provide secure log-in, collect statistics to optimize site functionality, and deliver content tailored to your interests. Click accept to give your consent to accept cookies and go directly to the site or click on more information to see detailed descriptions of the types of cookies we store.
Click here to learn about cookie settings.

artist

EDWARD LEAR

Biography

Edward Lear was a British poet, painter and illustrator, known for his absurd wit. He was born on the 12th of May, 1812, in the London suburb of Holloway, the twentieth of twenty one children, born to Anne Skerrett Lear and Jeremiah Lear, a stockbroker. Many of his siblings did not survive past childhood. Lear was the youngest to survive. His health was always delicate, even though he managed to live to the age of seventy five, and he suffered from chronic respiratory problems and had poor eyesight. When he was five he had his first epileptic seizure. Lear saw this “demon”, as he referred to his affliction, as a mark of shame. His wish to hide his condition form the people whom he loved, resulted in his self imposed isolation from them.

In the previous years to the onset of his epilepsy, another trauma occurred when Jeremiah Lear suffered heavy financial losses. Later Lear would tell his friends that his father had gone to debtor’s prison, although there is no evidence to back this claim. The Lears were forced to rent out their home, ‘Bowman’s Lodge’. Edward’s oldest sister, Ann, was charged with his care by their mother. When the family resumed their financial stability, she never acted as his mother again. Ann became a devoted surrogate mother to Edward for the rest of her life, but he never got over the hurt of being rejected by his real mother, often seen in his equivocation of mother figures in many of his poems.

His sister tutored Edward at home and encouraged the obvious talent for drawing and painting he had showed from an early age. Lear had little or no formal education. In 1828, his father, Jeremiah, retired and moved South of London. Edward and Ann remained in the city, in lodgings off the Gray’s Inn Road. Sixteen year old Edward sold sketches to support them. He produced anatomical drawings and later to illustrate natural history books. In 1832, he had a volume of twelve folio lithographic prints of parrots published by the London Zoological Society, ‘Illustrations of the Family Psittacosis’. The book was noticed by the 13th Earl of Derby, who was looking for an artist to draw the animals in his menagerie at Knowsley, his Derby estate in Lancashire. The Earl invited Lear to stay at the estate, which he did until 1937.

The Beginning of Lear's Travels

The English winters and Lear’s failing eyesight and lungs, meant that Lear had to give up his detailed natural history work, and in 1837, the Earl enabled Edward to become a painter of topographical landscape in Rome, by providing him with both funds and introductions. He travelled extensively throughout Europe and Asia between 1837 and 1847, where he also first established himself as a nonsense poet, and where some of the deepest of his many close friendships began.

The Illustrated Travels of a Landscape Painter

In 1842, Lear commenced his travels in Italy, travelling through Rome, Lazio, Abruzzo, Molise, Apulia, Calabria and Sicily. He recorded the Italian way of life in notes and drawings, of folk traditions and the beauty of the ancient monuments, buildings and landscape. One of his favourite places was Abruzzo, which he visited in 1843, through the Marsica and the plateau of Cinque Miglia by an old sheep track of the shepherds. After returning to England, Lear’s travel journals were published in several volumes as ‘The Illustrated Travels of a Landscape Painter’. They were extremely popular and well respected at the time, but were largely forgotten in the 20th century.

Introductions

His days at Knowsley had a profound influence on Lear’s career. Under the patronage of the Earl of Derby, Lear met and charmed many aristocrats, who went on to buy his paintings and was offered an opening into a world that his middle class upbringing would have otherwise denied him. Whilst there, Lear produced drawings, poems, menus and alphabets to entertain the children of Knowsley. These ‘nonsenses’ and Lear’s charming conversations and piano recitals, made him highly popular with both the children and the adults.

A Book of Nonsense

In 1846, he published his first book of poems, ‘A Book of Nonsense’, for the grandchildren of the Derby household, under the pseudonym, Derry Down Derry.

The Modern Limerick

Lear is recognised as the creator of the form and meter of the modern limerick. The Learian limerick is focused on a single individual – an old or young ‘person, ‘man’, ‘woman’, distinguished by unusual appearance, dress, behaviour, diet or talents. Most typically it will concentrate on their eccentricities, their dwelling place and their distinctive features. It then goes on to explain the consequence of their peculiarities and ends with an apostrophe.

There was a young lady of Norway,

Who casually sat in a doorway,

When the door squeezed her flat,

She exclaimed “what of that”?

This courageous young lady of Norway.

.

The modern limerick has an unexpected punch line at the end, Lear’s limerick repeats the final word at the end of the first line at the end of the last.

A theme of Lear’s limericks is anyone with a feature slightly different from the masses, such as the oversized nose and spindly legs he gave himself in self deprecating caricatures and his affinity with all animals other than dogs, seeing them as a sharer of his misfit status. He also shows Victorian children examples of bizarre, misbehaving adults, their morality often depicted in terms of eating habits. Food is often used symbolically in Lear’s poetry – sharing food indicating selflessness and affection, gluttony on the other hand showing lack of thought for others and egotism. Gluttony receives harsh punishment.

There was an old man of the South,

Who had an immoderate mouth,

But in swallowing a dish,

That was quite full of fish,

He was choked, that old man of the South.

Book of Nonsense

In 1845, the year before publishing the ‘Book of Nonsense’, Lear became friends with Chichester Fortesque, who later became Lord Carlingford. Their charming and delightful letters were compiled in two volumes and are the largest collection of letters published by Lear. In 1849, he met Alfred and Emily Tennyson. Lear greatly admired Tennyson’s poetry, setting several pieces to music and leaving an unfinished volume of illustrations of the poets’ work at his death.

Unrequited Love

Lear’s most painful relationship was with Franklin Rushington, a young barrister, whom he met in Malta in 1849 and who he toured Southern Greece with. Lear was passionately in love with him, but his feelings were not reciprocated. Even though they remained close friends, the unrequited love tormented Lear until his death.

10 Year Painting Course

In 1850, Lear started a ten year painting course at the Royal Academy Schools, to improve his figure drawing skills and his untrained oil painting technique.

Accomplished Musician

He was an accomplished musician, playing the guitar, flute and accordion, but mainly the piano. He composed music to accompany Victorian poems, but was mainly known for his numerous musical settings of Tennyson’s poetry – the only musical settings that Tennyson approved of. He also composed music to accompany many of his nonsense songs, including ‘The Owl and The Pussycat’. Only two scores have survived, the music for ‘The Courtship of The Yongy Bongy-Bo’ and ‘The Pelican Chorus’. He never played professionally, but would perform his own nonsense songs and his settings of other peoples’ poetry at social gatherings, often replacing serious lyrics with nursery rhymes.

The Owl and The Pussycat

Despite producing beautiful watercolours in both his illustrated travel journals and his work for the London Zoological Society, Lear is best remembered for his numerous poems, notably ‘The Owl and The Pussycat’ and as the creator of the modern limerick. Although his poems vary greatly, both in form and subject, they can be characterised by his irreverent view of the world. Lear poked fun at everything, including himself. Many critics view Lear’s loyalty to the ridiculous as a way of coping with and undermining the rigidity of Victorian society. The humour of Lear’s poems has proved to be timeless. His work along with other Victorian nonsense writer, such as Lewis Carroll and Thomas Hood, helped the twentieth century aesthetic movements such as surrealism and the theatre of the absurd. It was an expression of the longings, frustrations and dreams of a lovable, intensely loving man, who although being loved by relatives, friends and readers – both adults and children alike – never found the constant, intimate love he so desperately desired.

Last Words

Lear was never free from physical and emotional pain. His health grew steadily worse and he died of heart disease, alone except for a servant, on the 29th of January, 1888, in his villa in San Remo. His last words expressed his gratitude for the kindness of his absent friends. He is buried in the cemetery Foca in San Remo. His headstone is inscribed with the words from Tennyson’s poem, To EL (Edward Lear), On His Travels In Greece.

A Little Background

For over 80 years, Escoda – a family business based in Barcelona – have been handcrafting high quality brushes for all forms of artistic expression. Founded in 1933, Josep Escoda Roig (1902-1982) had the dream of starting a company that would produce high quality brushes for fine artists; 3 generations later the world renowned company is still flourishing. Today, Escoda have a wide range of natural and synthetic brushes, of which they handcraft around 1 million every year whilst maintaining their dedication to create the best brushes possible.

Expertly Crafted Brushes

When crafting their brushes, Escoda marry expert skill with the highest quality raw materials, ensuring the final quality of each brush stroke and the lifespan of their range. Each brush is handmade by highly trained brush makers and must meet the high standards set out by Josep Snr. A wide selection of natural and synthetic fibre brushes are available, each designed with their specific qualities in mind to provide the artist the best possible brush.

Escoda's natural hair brushes are the result of decades of experience and knowledge into what makes the perfect brush for each medium. For oils and acrylics, Escoda's Bravo (ox ear), Saturno (polecat), Arco (badger) and Clasico (hog bristles) ranges provide artists with robust, predictable brushes in different sizes designed to compliment the natural properties of the paint. For water-colourists, the Artesana (pony), Aquario (squirrel) and Reserva (kolinsky) ranges provide the soft fine hairs necessary for a delicate touch and increased control.

Not only do they make exceptional quality natural brushes, but they also have a large range of synthetic fibre options. Each artificial brush is designed specifically to produce the same high quality performance and brushstroke as the traditional brush - for many artist this provides a new standard for their practice.

The Escoda family and their dedicated team of highly trained brush makers have transformed the making of brushes into an art form of its very own. Here are a couple videos from their Youtube channel demonstrating the process and craftsmanship standards the Escoda family strive to maintain.

Artists Profile with painter Amanda Adam

Amanda Adam is a Scottish painter, printmaker and draughtswoman. Born in Dunfermline, she now resides in Crossford, Fife and is currently undertaking her Masters in Fine Art and Humanities at the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DJCAD) in Dundee. The artist studied drawing, painting and printmaking at the Leith School of Art in Edinburgh, before going on to complete her BA Degree at DJCAD. Here, we ask Amanda about her processes as an artist, her inspirations and thoughts on the role of art in society.

What kind of art do you produce and how/ when did you start to get involved in making work?

I am predominantly a painter. My practice is based on landscape, our responses to place and how we function spatially within it. Recently my work has started to come off the wall, taking a more sculptural form. When I started painting at the Leith School of Art, I felt if I could specialise in painting I could expand into any other medium. However, I always come back to painting as it is my passion, the area in which I lose myself.

What was the first work of art you remember seeing?

I don’t remember the first work of art I ever saw but I cried the first time I saw a small Van Gogh paining, a portrait of Alexander Reid in The Kelvingrove art Gallery and Museum, in Glasgow. The sitter was an art dealer who built up a collection of French 19th Century paintings which now reside in Glasgow Art Gallery. Van Gogh and Reid shared lodgings in Paris at the time when the portrait was painted 1887. I just felt really humbled and in awe.

What medium do you normally work in, and why?

I work with canvas using a traditional oil paint/ linseed oil/ dammar varnish mix. However I have recently started working in gouache as well. Oil paint does what I need it to do, running, spreading, dripping. I can layer, scratch and cut into it easily.

Is there any kind of medium/ art techniques that you would like to explore in your future work?

Moving forward I would like to work with stone and ceramics, but in the more immediate future probably photography, film and sound.

What subject matters are you normally drawn towards?

While humans are absent from my landscape-based work, a presence of the viewer suggests itself, making it understood that the terrain is not ‘empty’, but rather filled with the same elements that sustain all life. The chaotic myriad of colours is derived from intangible feelings to which I subconsciously respond; it is that ‘spirit’ of place contrasted with the punctuated presence of line. Lines provide structure to our lives; within the work it is the contours of the land contrasted with man made objects, which offers stability and dynamism. The paintings become installations and sculptures on the very land that I paint, creating their own sets of lines and movements.

If from a traditional art background (i.e. higher education in art) how do you think the institutions you were associated with have formed/ informed your practice?

There are advantages and disadvantages to higher education within art. If you are unsure about your work you can very easily be pushed or swayed into making work which you are uncomfortable with or which you don’t feel is your own natural response. You can feel confined and if you spend too many years in ‘the system’ you can also get too comfortable. The advantages are that you have so many opportunities to practice so many areas of material exploration, through workshops, tutorials and artist’s talks all at your finger tips. Plus a formal art education can open other doors for you in the way of scholarships and awards etc. if that’s what interests you. It has definitely helped me to hone my ideas, allowing me to recognise the subject matter which drives my practice.

Who are your inspirations in the art world?

Those who work with sincerity, intensity and passion, no matter what their subject matter or medium; artists whose work comes from the heart.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

I am influenced by everything around me, every journey I make in a car, a bus, a train, as the land races past me - I find that very exciting. Walking in the landscape, just being, sitting, feeling, being at one within it. I like to go to remote places. Residencies are great as they allow you the time in one place to really ‘feel’ your surroundings. The Bothy Project in Scotland and the Clipperton Project are two residencies which I have taken up recently, but there are so many available.

What kind of studio/ gallery space do you work in?

My MFA studio is a small office space where I make water based works and more experimental pieces. It’s really a place where I do a lot of small work, make applications, etc. My home-based studio is the top floor of a golf Club, based in a small castle-type building. The scenery, the golf course is beautiful and serene. From the windows I look from Fife right over to the Lothians. But actually my studio is really out on the land where I make site-specific work.

What advice would you give to people who want to get involved in art?

Trust your instinct, collect, experiment, ignore your anxieties and be prepared to feel all emotions at the same time whilst making work.

What do you think is the importance of art in society?

Art has been part of man since the dawn of time. It allows us to dream dreams and our souls to dance. Art is life-enhancing, entertaining and defines our personal and national identities, and is the ultimate freedom in expression.

This month’s Artist Profile is Nicola Blakemore

Originally trained as a graphic artist, Nicola has had a varied career working in public relations, the media and the travel industry. She returned to her artistic roots, becoming involved in interior design, specialised painting techniques and mural work both at home in the UK and internationally. Now living in the Languedoc region of Southern France, Nicola’s work has featured in Country Living magazine, BBC Radio 4 and Central TV. We’re going to hear from Nicola about how she works in the following interview.

What kind of art do you produce and how/ when did you start to get involved with this?

Personally I love painting still lifes, but I also paint commissions, and have produced portraits, people, pets and houses. I create murals and also teach at college level, with students with special needs and with private groups on painting holidays.

What medium do you normally work in, and why?

I work in all media but I’m exploring more with the potential of watercolour, which is what I’m teaching at the moment.

Art education background (if any):

A-level art at school.

Gallery/ Professional Affiliations (if any):

I have exhibited in both the UK and France.

Is there any kind of medium/ art techniques that you would like to explore in your future work?

I want to get back into oils. I’m also going to use the new Cobra range, which are water-based oil paints. My friend Libby Page loves them.

What subject matters are you normally drawn towards?

I’m a big fan of colour, so anything colourful which can evoke a mood or a feeling.

If affiliated to Gallery/ art collective/ art club, how did you get involved with this?

I am not affiliated to any galleries or collectives at the moment.

If from other type of background (i.e. no formal art education) what were the reasons for not pursuing this route and how do you feel this has influenced your art?

I am a self taught artist.

Who are your inspirations in the art world?

I love the vivid colours used by Shirley Trevena and many of the great masters and the Dutch still life painters.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Anywhere and everywhere!

What kind of studio/ gallery space do you work in?

A spare room.

What advice would you give to people who want to get involved in art?

Just do it. Give yourself permission to ‘play’ and don’t have too high expectations. You can find a friendly group or even learn via the internet, which is where I do some teaching. There is a saying that you should ‘know what you are good at and stick to it.’ I say, ‘discover what you might be even better at and go for it.’

Sophie Gackowksi of Just Miniature Things (Small Curiosity Shop?) is our first interviewee in our new art profiles series which aims to introduce local artists and their work to our readers.

"A vibrant artistic spirit."

Having started at Art College at 15, Dundee resident Sophie undertook a year of fine art and a year of interior design before making the decision to not continue with a formal art education and to do a degree in literature and philosophy instead. “So I’ve got two degrees, but nothing arts based” she laughs.

Sophie now makes 1/12th scale miniatures of normal life size things; amongst the examples she has brought along to show me are a tiny pack of tarot cards, tiny erasers, tiny chocolate bars, tiny everything…

She first became involved in this nano-world through dolls house miniatures. A collector herself she was motivated by the prohibitive prices of many pieces to begin making her own. From there she moved on to making miniature scenes in an attempt to attract interest from outside the dolls house market. These little sets, as seen in the pictures below can be bought as little ornaments.

When asked how she sees herself as fitting into the dolls house market which got her started, Sophie feels her position is confused at the moment. Top end items of the dolls house miniature market she tells me can cost up to £700 or £800. A lot of the people who make miniatures, like furniture, also make the life size equivalents and so are coming to the table with a very high skill set. However Sophie doesn’t see this as a problem. Rather than being boxed in to the dolls house market she is trying to take the concept of miniatures and seeing how they can be developed.

Sophie uses all kinds of craft materials to create her mini curiosities.

“That’s the fun of it,” she says, “because you get to work with wood, you get to work with metal, you get to work with sculpture…all kinds of mediums but just sort of condensed. I use a lot of everyday things which you would just find around the house, cocktail sticks are invaluable, but yeah, Fimo. I spend a lot of money on Fimo.”

She also uses a specialised set of tools, including mini fretsaws and chisels. These items are also quite expensive she tells me; another reason which can make it quite costly to get involved in this area, and which has to be factored into the price of the work. Sophie is trying however to create a more accessible range of miniatures price wise, the kind of thing that students could buy as gifts, “Because not everyone can afford to spend £50 on something small.”

After half an hour of speaking to Sophie and seeing her work it is clear that Sophie has a strong creative ethos and a vibrant artistic spirit. So what was it, I ask, made her decide to abandon her arts degree and go into the humanities and what was it which brought her back to art?

The short answer was competition she says,

“Realising there are some fantastic artists out there and seeing yourself perhaps as not as capable, not as talented….and also money. At the time, when I was sort of sixteen or seventeen I was thinking about getting a job and having money and being able to live a comfortable life, and I thought it would be easier to do that with a degree in literature than in art which is ridiculous. I think everybody has that idea, and I think a lot of people go into the humanities who are actually quite creative. So that was what put me off and it took a few years but now I’m finally getting back into it, because now I know that money doesn’t actually matter that much, you just need what you need to get by.”

“I had a bit of a strange time last year. I was diagnosed with cancer in August, and had my arm amputated. So before I had two, which made it a lot easier to do miniatures. And that completely, completely shifted my perspective. I thought, no actually I’m going to do the miniatures because I enjoy it and if I don’t make any money out of it then I’m still doing what I enjoy. I realised that I don’t want a nine to five and I want to do creative things and do arts things, and do what I love. So I guess that’s what’s happened with regards to going back into art.”

It is quite simply nothing short of awe inspiring to be in the presence of such a positive attitude of determination not only to not allow this experience to limit her creativity, but also to actively use it as a way to re- embrace her artistic practice.

Sophie’s philosophy should be an example to all.

Being creative is a therapeutic thing

“You don’t have to make money out of it [art]; it’s such a therapeutic thing. Being creative is the closest thing you can get I think to nurturing your soul and your spirit. It’s just being kind to yourself. I think more people should just sit down and scribble drawings if they fancy scribbling a drawing. It can be a kind of diary. But people don’t often see it like that, and they compare themselves too often to people who are extremely talented artists, who might have huge galleries and exhibitions and make loads of money, and that’s fantastic for them, but its important I think that people don’t perceive it as so elite.”

This is often such an unusual attitude to encounter in the highly competitive art world that it is extraordinarily refreshing to see this democratising attitude to creativity.

So how, I wanted to know, does Sophie choose the things she creates?

“When it was more hobby based,” she tells me, “I would always make things as gifts. I started out meaning to make things for my own dolls house, and then ended up usually making things as presents for people because that was a good point of reference I suppose. Like a fiddle workshop I made inside a full- sized violin. Whereas now I would say I’m less picking up things and thinking I would like to make that and more thinking about what people might be interested in in miniature. In terms of the dolls house market, I like making curios, because people are very strict about the period their dolls houses are in and the things they put inside, so most people go for Victorian. The Victorians were massive collectors, so making tiny butterflies, or tiny death masks, things related to palmistry and tarot and things that Victorian people would have had as little knickknacks. Because the furniture is taken care of, and the glass and amazing food and things that people can make who are absolute experts at doing that, but there’s not a lot of people producing curios. It’s fun. It’s really fun. I’m thinking of branching out into tiny taxidermy….”

It’s unusual enough to find somebody who creates life size taxidermy, let alone mini-taxidermy these days. This is too intriguing an idea not to follow up, how exactly does she intend to create mini taxidermy?

“ I guess it would have to be sculpture. My father’s an antique collector and he’s got lots of taxidermy and he has a beautiful parrot under a bell jar. Whenever I am making things I like to use things that I have around me so I can actually get the scale right, because I’m quite particular about that. So I suppose I would have to sculpt it out of Fimo, and carve into it the feathers and things…”

So where do all these diminutive creations come into existence?

“I have a Victorian table in the living room, which comes out and gets covered in things. Because its tiny things, I don’t have to have a huge amount of space, and then in terms of storing the things, I don’t need much space either. So there wouldn’t be much point in getting a studio. Unless I was to be doing this full time. So I just work from home at the moment.”

Would she like to be doing this full time?

“Absolutely, but I’ve never been particularly good at marketing myself. It’s quite a difficult thing to get set up in and work out “Who are you publicising this to?” Who are your audience and your customers, and I think I need to figure that out first. If I were to get a stall at the Kensington dolls house show next year I might think about getting a small space. It would be lovely to be somewhere where I was working with other creative people doing things in arts.”

With such a positive outlook on what she is doing and why, I wanted to know if Sophie had any advice for those people (potentially our readers) who want to get involved in art?

“I would say to go into things for the right reasons. Do it because you love it, and do everything you can to carry on with what it is that you love doing. For people that don’t necessarily have any experience in the arts you just have to give it a bash. Its like my background is writing and the first dozen stories that I wrote were awful, but you have to get the bad stuff out before any of the good stuff can come out, and its practice. Every skill and every kind of art takes practice. It’s taking that first step of actually putting pen to paper or paintbrush to canvas, or scalpel to a bit of wood and just giving it a go.”

Sounds like good advice to us.

Fiona MacHugh

If you want to see more of Sophie’s work, or are interested in commissioning some of your very own miniatures you can go through either her Etsy site:

Fife Artist - Kirsty Lorenz

Recently, we had a family afternoon trip out visiting artists open studios work We were unable to pop in to all 86 venues but, on returning home and going through the open Studios North Fife brochure I found myself researching on some of the artists to find that one of the artists venues, we were very near to while walking around the beautiful village of Ladybank. Kirsty Lorenz is an artist who is extremel well known for her stunning flower paintings and she has exhibited widely in the UK and abroad. Kirsty Lorenz is based in Ladybank where she renovated the old Victorian Railway Station and made it her studio and runs art classes and workshops from there too. Fresh and delightful that the studio is - to look at that is - seems to be just the perfect setting to have peace to paint away happily.

Kirsty paints the most amazing oil paintings of foxgloves, dahlias to daisy chains and has an ongoing project (Daisy Chains). Her project is ongoing and each and every painting is magnificent in the of her use of colour and depth and, also how she captures each flower in such magnificent detail. All of Kirstys' masterpieces are made into greeting cards and tea towels also, so there is the odd gift too which have her designs on them.

After reading all about the artist and browsing through all her beautiful paintings on her website I became somewhat annoyed that we missed that chance to view her work in her studio but, at least I know the artists' studio is only a 10 minute drive away for any further exhibitions that she may hold in the near future.

The Daisy Chain

Kirstys' long lasting project of the Daisy Chain began from when she had her baby daughter and had seen her making a daisy chain out in their back garden, just like the artist did herself in her childhood, and Kirsty thought to herself how lovely the daisy would a beautiful painting and from there she has produced the most stunning and unique daisy chain paintings - something I have never seen before - and you can see how much hard work has gone in to each and every painting as Kirsty has captured the true essence of the daisy through her use of colour, depth and detail. You can See just beautiful her paintings are as seen below. Very unique and most inspirational. I keep looking at these wonderful paintings and just keep wanting to go and pick up my brushes and watercolours and get painting myself and having a play around with colour and flowers myself. Love how she has her own space and, what with us planning on taking business back to where we started in Pittenweem and, no longer work from home makes me even more excited for that move to happen as I know we can do something similar but not on such a huge scale as Kirsty. Longing to get painting and allow the feelings deep within me be poured out onto blank canvasses and talk to art lovers.

I hope this artists' work inspires you & draws you to pick up your brushes and paints.